Boston bomber emotional as kin testify

BOSTON — Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has maintained an impassive or stoic demeanor throughout his trial. Even as survivors told of the carnage he inflicted at the 2013 Boston Marathon and as family members described how he killed their loved ones, he barely seemed to flinch.

But on Monday, as his aunts and other relatives from Russia testified on his behalf, in their native tongue, he reached for a tissue, dabbed his eyes and appeared to weep.

The relatives testifying were crying too, even sobbing outright. One was crying so uncontrollably, gasping for breath, that she had to leave the stand after a few minutes.

It was an unusual display of emotion all around Monday as the defense team pressed forward with its case to try to spare Tsarnaev’s life.

Last month, in the first phase of his trial, the jury convicted Tsarnaev, 21, of all 30 charges against him in connection with the bombing of the marathon, which killed three people and injured 264 others. In the penalty phase, the government is arguing that he be sentenced to death, while the defense wants him sentenced to life in prison without parole.

As part of its case, the defense has sought to humanize Tsarnaev, with witnesses speaking to his sweetness and sensitivity. The prosecution has called him unrepentant and said he had no remorse for the lives he took and the mayhem he caused.